Welcome to the world of Nemesis Private Investigators.
This was once the largest and most important project in my life. It was something I spent a lot of time working on; writing; designing and generally just thinking about. It was my favourite project I worked on in my freetime and has a massive list of assets.
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Most of my creative development came from my enthusiasm for this project and I didn't always have access to the means I do now so much of this was developed on Microsoft Paint using a mouse and keyboard.
What is NPI?
Nemesis Private Investigators was a group, forum-based writing experience started in 2015 by myself and some of my friends at college. We all had a collective enthusiasm for creative writing and decided to take the plunge and start writing together.
The premise initially started off simple and loose which was elaborated over time and I started to develop the overarching plot and background information whilst the others just had to focus on their characters.
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It started with a detective agency; their goal was to resolve these mysterious issues whilst using their individual abilities and powers to stop any dangerous and deadly situations from unfurling. Over time, it developed into a story about characters from multiple universes residing within one reality that was collapsing in on itself. Most people had no knowledge of the 'multiverse' existence of their reality, whilst those at Nemesis Private Investigators did and used everything within their power to save the world.
The Universe
Over the years of its existence; NPI had many different writers who joined, left or stayed and the cast of characters continually grew and shrank as a result. On par with storylines, some characters left and some characters died. That being said, I designed every single character using a Mouse on Microsoft Paint then edited them on Photoshop. This resulted in over 200 characters being designed with over 2000 assets worth of content.
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Each character came from a different reality; all of which also received a definitive logo that would act as a concept to tell the story of that universe visually. Some universes were developed by me whilst others were developed by other players but each to an extent were a collaborative effort, with everybody contributing in one way or another.
Arcanus
A fantasy-like universe with standard Tolkien-esque races and a medieval aesthetic.
Earth
The world as we know it, free of any whimsical monsters and magic.
New Meridian
A noir-like universe, locked in a vintage aesthetic with magical artefacts.
Oasis
Inspired by the aesthetics of ancient Egypt but with futuristic aspects in a utopia.
Arkland
A modern fantasy setting, full of vampires, werewolves and other common tropes.
Brink Valley
A small town in Earth that functions as a weak spot in reality, full of oddities.
Gehenna
The underworld of New Meridian; run by the Demon Kings and sinister deals.
Vulterheim
A Victorian-England inspired realm, full of awful beasts with no hope of a better future.
Avanfall
A steampunk-fantasy universe with unique races, rules and technology.
Elsen
A world empty of life, void of anything, with white blocky buildings and nothing else.
Nova
A science-fiction reality, full of advanced tech with a clear divide between rich and poor.
The Void
The space between universes, where nothing can live or thrive. It is mysterious.
The Cast
Nemesis Private Investigators comprised of an ever-changing cast of shifting and evolving characters; some of which died - some of which left of their own accord and some of which had other means in which they disappeared.
Every storyline focused on a group of characters from the ensemble as they investigated a case or resolved a mystery or just spent time together for some kind of social gathering.
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The following are all my characters that were NPI agents.
Max | 22yrs | Earth
Created 11/02/15
Maxwell Ryans is clever and has a bad habit of correcting other people, he likes to follow rules and keep things in an orderly manner but is also devoted to the company and the people within it. He is something of a protagonist archetype but he struggles to question authority; wanted to become a great detective, inspired by his seniors.
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Max was my first character for NPI. In spite of this, he was technically the 'newest' agent at the time when he joined. He received a lot of redesigns over the years.
Angel | 5yrs | Nova
Created 11/02/15
Angel is a neurotic doctor with a phobia of germs and tends to always assume the worst about the symptoms of a patient. This is counterbalanced by her true love and motherly nature for the people around her, she always wishes the best.
Angel had worked for the agency for quite some time prior to the beginning and in a later twist, was revealed to be a human, with her brain transplanted into a robotic body. Her body was eventually destroyed and a new one that reflected her personality was built.
Damien | ?yrs | Elsen
Created 11/02/15
Damien is the enigmatic head of Human Resources; and the only one in that department. In contrast to the rest of the characters who exist within the world and complete the detective jobs - Damien is the one who assigns them.
Damien's character was tied into the overarching plot and clearly knew more about the world and its rules than the other characters. Damien rarely got involved but clearly had some ability to control space and his 'office' existed in an odd dimension which people would be summoned to.
Skipper | 25yrs | Nova
Created 12/02/15
Skylar Popps or 'Skipper' was the resident techie at NPI. A true free-spirited individual, Skipper is as wild and energetic as she is unapologetic about being so. Skipper's high-energy attitude is often refreshing or completely frustrating and her wild-card approach to life means that she is often a factor with a random number generator effect. In spite of this, she is almost like a big sister to many of the younger team-members at NPI.
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She had a lot of friends, key relationships and stories.
Val | 36yrs | New Meridian
Created 14/02/15
Valentine Rigby or 'Val' was a solid veteran detective with a history in policing. Although having a rough childhood and an ambiguous parentage; Val was every stereotype of a grizzled detective even down to his signature chain-smoking cigarettes. He is hot-headed and due to some innate trait, is constantly troubled with bad luck and things going wrong - having to maintain a level head in order to combat the instability of his luck.
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Val was exceedingly protective of NPI and those at it.
Tuffy | 800+yrs | Gehenna
Created 19/02/15
Tuffy is a summoned-demon that takes the form of a small teddybear with elongated arms that end in three stubby claws. He is capable of transforming into a monster that resembled an inside-out stuffed animal.
Although unable to speak, Tuffy is known for his rude attitude and disregard for people he has little interest in. He has a much larger personality than his outward appearance would insinuate. He is was acting Security Chief for NPI prior to the end.
Xander | 26yrs | Arkland
Created 06/07/15
Xander was a chef and a bodyguard for NPI, functioning as security using his ability to turn into an assortment of melee weapons to fulfil his role.
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Xander was a chill and relaxed personality with a relatively easy-going attitude to his job and the people around him. He had a lot of patience for those around him and always wanted to be involved in social events. He was about to leave the agency for a normal life close to the ending and wanted to move back home with his family in Ireland.
Ophelia | ?yrs | Avanfall
Created 20/08/15
Ophelia was an investigator and detective working for the agency; known for her ditzy and charming personality. She was warm, joyful although a little airheaded and tended to be really good at her job.
At least... that's how she wanted everybody to perceive her. In actuality, Ophelia was a violent psychopath and serial killer who enjoyed long-game means of hurting those around her all while playing her façade to avoid any suspect of her true nature. Her words never aligned her thoughts and she was truly frightening in a fight.
Azure | 5000+yrs | Avanfall
Created 14/06/16
Azure was part of the Science team at NPI and was a chemist for the agency. She had arguably been at NPI for the longest and occasionally doubled as a detective using her experience as an assist.
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She was rude, arrogant and full of herself which was clearly a coping mechanism from her previous 'Queen' status that she lost during a war after failing her people. Azure was more sensitive than she let people on to and made a lasting bond with Samuel, another Scientist.
Richie | 33yrs | Avanfall
Created 22/04/17
Ricardo Bloom, better known as "Richie" was an alchemist and 'Nostrum-Maker'; somebody who could make magical potions and pills and worked as part of the sciences team.
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Richie was shy and soft-natured and something of a pushover. He had been inflicted with lycanthropy and used some of his time at his job to try and cure himself; all the while taking care of his young daughter as a single dad after the death of his wife. He did find a level of companionship within Felix, an Investigator at NPI.
Pepper | 24yrs | Arkland
Created 18/06/18
Pepper Love was a trainee surgeon at NPI, following in the footsteps of those who would teach her at the agency. She showed promise and had an interest in researching disease.
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Pepper was known for her incredibly dry and sarcastic personality, often speaking flatly and with a lot of irony to the point it was difficult to get a read on her. In addition to that, her quiet enthusiasm for fashion was clear from the over-the-top and wild outfits she regularly wore.
Vox | 30yrs | Avanfall
Created 11/06/18
Vox Coral was a counsellor and therapist working at NPI; he clearly had some kind of mysterious and mixed past with implications he had ties to criminals or criminal organisations and appeared to be well-connected - always able to find exactly what somebody was looking for with no questions asked.
He had a relaxing and chilled personality and some kind of empathic or emotion-reading abilities. He hid his true appearance under fear of discrimination.
Ana | 26yrs | Brink Valley
Created 26/11/19
Anastasia Nightlight never truly got a chance to shine as she hadn't quite joined the cast before it ended. She existed as a recurring minor character known for her wild conspiracy theories and habit of falling into bad situations at the right time. She had no trouble befriending many of those at NPI and wouldn't hesitate to get involved.
Although she had no real 'powers', her happenstance and wacky-yet-relatable enthusiasm for putting things together made her have all the traits of an invaluable detective.
In addition to the Nemesis Private Investigators - there were other groups that functioned in a similarly-placed role. One of these are The Eris Organisation; a research bureau doing similar work to the NPI cast but functioning like rivals.
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The following are all my characters that were Eris Agents
Rouge | 30yrs | New Meridian
Created 01/03/15
Rouge was the de facto leader of Eris. She answers to the top of the pyramid directly. A no-nonsense boss who is incredibly capable in all kinds of scenarios.
Emily | 23yrs | Earth
Created 28/03/15
Emily Daring was a forensic expert and photographer that worked for Eris. She was completely mute being afflicted with a curse and had a shy personality.
Nico | 53yrs | Avanfall
Created 14/06/16
Nico was a protective shield for Eris with a somewhat soft and naïve personality. He was much tougher than he looked but treated his job more like he would family.
Oscar | 30yrs | New Meridian
Created 01/03/15
Oscar Kilo was the other leader of Eris but wasn't quite as keenly involved as Rouge. Oscar Kilo was a gentlemanly type and heir to a wealthy estate.
Hollow | 200+yrs | Gehenna
Created 16/04/15
Hollow was a childlike demon in a doll that by all means acted like a little girl. She was a deadly force to be reckoned with and was the muscle for Eris.
Lemon | 20yrs | Arkland
Created 20/12/16
Lemon was like a personal assistant to the major Eris team but was also training to be an investigator. She had a wild imagination and was always brimming with ideas.
Jasper | 28yrs | Arkland
Created 22/03/15
Jasper Crane was one of the greatest surgeons of his time, although his lazy attitude might betray that fact. He was charming in a cheeky yet boyish fashion.
Alice | 19yrs | Nova
Created 24/04/15
Alice was the resident techie for Eris with a child prodigy with computer-like instincts. She had little interest in people outside of her job and was very work-focused.
Denouments | New Meridian
Created 14/02/19
Owen, Vanessa, Molly and Ray Denouement were four separate siblings who resided in one body. Each had unique skills and personalities to switch to.
Other Groups
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Two other minor groups of characters are the "Omega Universe" NPI cast, which comprises of an alternate-reality version of the characters but pushed 7 years into the future.
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In addition, there are also the "Janitorial Unit", a secret group working directly for Damien but whose identities were hidden from the rest of the characters acting as workers at a doughnut shop across the road from the HPI headquarters. Their role was to clean up any messes and cover up anything left behind after an investigation to maintain a status quo.
Sprite Collection
Due to the sheer number of characters I designed for this project; there is a massive collection of sprites created to represent characters from storylines - this includes recurring characters, minor characters and characters from other agencies.
Each of these characters had different expressions and some had alternate poses or even outfits. I have chosen to just merge them together into one massive collection.
 ARCANUS Ali |  ARCANUS Eleanora |  ARCANUS Lisa |
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 ARCANUS Luna |  ARKLAND Atom (Human) |  ARKLAND Caleb |
 ARKLAND Callum |  ARKLAND Cherry |  ARKLAND Clyde |
 ARKLAND Cody |  ARKLAND Evan |  ARKLAND Jay (F) |
 ARKLAND Jay (M) |  ARKLAND Kane |  ARKLAND Lilly |
 ARKLAND Lucille |  ARKLAND Lulu |  ARKLAND Riley |
 ARKLAND Teddy |  ARKLAND Violetta |  ARKLAND Xiaodan |
 ARKLAND Zane |  AVANFALL - Kaladain |  AVANFALL - Tucker |
 AVANFALL Alpha |  AVANFALL Amy |  AVANFALL Arcadia |
 AVANFALL Asher |  AVANFALL Axton |  AVANFALL Confetti |
 AVANFALL Destiny |  AVANFALL Ebb |  AVANFALL Fate |
 AVANFALL - Charm |  AVANFALL Mattise |  AVANFALL Turq |
 AVANFALL Vivi |  AVANFALL Jess |  AVANFALL Lily |
 AVANFALL MEL-24 |  AVANFALL Spectra |  BRINK VALLEY Asha |
 BRINK VALLEY Barb |  BRINK VALLEY Beau |  BRINK VALLEY Carson |
 BRINK VALLEY Dirk |  BRINK VALLEY François |  BRINK VALLEY Professor Sweet |
 BRINK VALLEY Tammy |  BRINK VALLEY Vikktar |  EARTH Charlotte |
 EARTH Felix |  EARTH Frazer |  EARTH Mac |
 EARTH Maple |  NEW MERIDIAN - Ariadne |  NEW MERIDIAN - GEHENNA Colby |
 NEW MERIDIAN - GEHENNA Cognito |  NEW MERIDIAN - GEHENNA Counterfeit |  NEW MERIDIAN - GEHENNA Jackl |
 NEW MERIDIAN - GEHENNA Pentel |  NEW MERIDIAN Arissa |  NEW MERIDIAN Clancy |
 NEW MERIDIAN Earnest |  NEW MERIDIAN Eliza |  NEW MERIDIAN Ezekiel |
 NEW MERIDIAN Smyth (Miss Purl) |  NEW MERIDIAN Smyth |  NEW MERIDIAN Steve |
 NEW MERIDIAN Vincent - Dead |  NOVA ARIA |  NOVA Aetheria - Dead |
 NOVA Cassandra |  NOVA (Clone) Sidney |  NOVA (Clone) Stefa |
 NOVA (Clone) Stetsen |  NOVE (Clone) Will |  NOVA Dawn |
 NOVA Dominic |  NOVA Honeybee |  NOVA Kevin - Dead |
 NOVA Leona |  NOVA Leonard |  NOVA Matt (Dorado) |
 NOVA Penny |  NOVA Rick |  NOVA River |
 NOVA Sam (Delphinus) |  NOVA Samuel |  NOVA Serena |
 NOVA Sven |  NOVA Vector |  OASIS Kleo |
 SANCTARTIS Maya |  SANCTARTIS Rooney (Casual - High) |  SANCTARTIS Rooney (Stage Outfit) |
 SANCTARTIS Vanilla (Masked) |  TOONTOWN Miss Flora |  TOONTOWN Ollie Inkwell |
 TOONTOWN Salty Clyde |  VULTERHEIM Briar |  VULTERHEIM Cecil |
 VULTERHEIM Jacques |  VULTERHEIM Luther |  VULTERHEIM Veos |
Other Art
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Other than just the character sprites designed for writing on the forum; this project also received a significant amount of other kinds of art from myself. This is all the following.
Story Title Cards
To kick off a storyline, towards the end of the project I would design 'title cards', inspired by 90's and 00's cartoons to give an inkling about what the storyline will be or contain.
Hours to Go
"Hours to Go" was a larger storyline and each of the featured NPCs received art.
Body Illustrations
This is art of characters that features more than just headshots.
Mini-Comic
Ophelia and Xander's introductions to NPI.
Scenes
These are landscape scenes or shots portrayed a character or some kind of scenario.
Cutesy Art
I had a habit of copying a cutesy or 'chibi' art style which I reflected in many characters
Character Headshots
This is an assorted collection of art features character headshots or busts.